The Upside-down Map Page

This site puts a whole new perspective on the world. I had never thought of viewing the world from a different angle, whether it is upside down or sideways. Maps were always just maps to me with a justification of North at the top and South at the bottom.

Here you will see maps with South at the top and North at the bottom. And you can read about other maps that are printed with the East in the top or center of the map. Or you can read about the history of maps. For instance, in ancient Arabia they put south at the top. “This is because when you wake up and face the sun, south is on the right. Because of positive associations with the right as opposed to left, they put that on top… Europeans learnt mapmaking from the Arabians and flipped the map to make themselves on top.” [Source: email from Jessica who heard a talk by an American Muslim scholar called Hamza Yusuf.]”

Isn’t that fascinating? It makes me want to rethink it all. I love the pictures on this site as well, it brings to home the difference in perspective.